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Goodbye, retailers; hello, baby Jesus!

Religious leaders are troubled by the season's materialism but see hope in increased church attendance and giving.

By SHERYL KAY
Published December 23, 2005

Christmas may come every Dec. 25, but everyone knows the first signs of red and green appear in retail stores sometime in early October.

A jump start on the buying has become de rigueur, with retailers straining to ring up that first sale long before Thanksgiving.

Despite the crush of commercialism, spiritual leaders report the true spirit of the holiday is alive and well.

"I don't think the spirit is gone," said Father Patrick "Paddy" Kennedy of St. Timothy's Catholic Church in Lutz. "It just may get covered up a bit."

He sees evidence in the way charities rev up their solicitations, knowing people will feel the spirit of the season and give generously.

He also sees it in church attendance. "Every year the number of people we have come to our church on Christmas is three to four times the number on a normal Sunday, so you can see people do have a spiritual connection with this holiday," he said.

Still, he agrees with critics who say the holiday has become far too materialistic.

These include the Rev. Richard Nussel of Lake Magdalene United Methodist Church in Tampa. "It's the almighty dollar that's become the driving force behind the Christmas celebration," Nussel said. "The commercial machine will do all that it can to bastardize the whole intent of Christmas for their own financial gain."

Nussel has no problem with companies trying to make a profit, but he objects when they push aside the religious significance of the birth of Jesus Christ. And he also worries when people overextend themselves financially by buying gifts that exceed their budgets.

There is a big difference between recalling the gifts that the Wise Men brought to the infant Jesus and breaking the bank to make a good impression.

In his most recent preaching series, Pastor Ron Beck of First Baptist Church of Citrus Park called on his parishioners to "bring Jesus Christ back" into the celebration of Christmas. He concurred that there is much to celebrate, but for far too long the recognition and appreciation of the importance of the birth of Christ has been forgotten.

"When you look down Dale Mabry Highway at this time of year, you don't see it exactly the way God meant it to be," he said. "It's obvious it's the biggest time of year for retailers to make money, to buy and sell, and underneath all of it so many people are thinking, "What can I get?' instead of "What can I give?"'

From a religious standpoint, Beck said, this "me-focused" attitude, and other actions contrary to Christian doctrine, constitute sin.

"Satan wants us to destroy the real meaning of Christmas," Beck said. "He'd love for us to candy-coat it, and to forget what the holiday is all about."

Jewish leaders are similarly frustrated with the holiday season, facing an exaggerated celebration of Hanukkah, which falls on Dec. 25 this year and continues for eight nights.

The festival recalls when the Jewish people overpowered their Assyrian Greek oppressors and rededicated the holy temple that the Assyrians had desecrated. It is considered a minor holiday compared to the new year celebration of Rosh Hashana or the spring festival of Passover.

Still, although nothing in the religion calls for gift-giving, many Jewish parents give their children gifts on all eight nights.

"There's nothing really wrong with gift-giving," said Rabbi Shimon Moch of Congregation B'nai Emmunah in Tarpon Springs. "But the negative value is the expectation of children to get the gifts, and the guilt the parents may have if they don't imitate our Christian neighbors. We need to trade this all in for more Jewish values, more universal values."

Nussel thinks that time might be sooner rather than later.

"I have great hope," he said. "I'm not a social scientist. But I believe there is a subtle shift that is transitioning away from "holiday' and back to Christmas, or whatever religious festival.

"The frenzy and the misplaced values will always be there, but I just can't see the consumer "me' mentality existing at the pace that it does now."

- Contact reporter Sheryl Kay with religion news at skreporter@hotmail.com

[Last modified December 22, 2005, 09:27:09]